Amarth Mîn
by WashiStar
Summary: Sick and tired of being treated like a pariah, Eren escapes into the forest of luminescent trees to find relief from the constant slew of verbal and physical attacks. Little does he know, in this forest he will meet someone who couldn't care less about what he is. [Full summary inside & rating subject to change.]


Summary: Sick and tired of being treated like a pariah, Eren escapes into the forest of luminescent trees to find relief from the constant slew of verbal and physical attacks. Little does he know, in this forest he will meet someone who couldn't care less about what he is. As the two spend more time with each other, Eren begins to feel less and less like an outcast. However, their time together is cut short when a band of Orcs invades Eren's village. What does fate have in store for these two whose paths have become intertwined?

* * *

Eren runs. He runs as fast as his short limbs can propel him, away from all of the unknown faces filled with disgust, whose lips part to spout insults, scorn, and hatred. The constant attacks become unbearable, weighing him down until he feels paralyzed. So he has to escape, escape from it all.

His feet carry him deeper into the dense forest. The ground is softly illuminated by the bioluminescent flowers and mushrooms. The moonshine trees surrounding him give an ethereal glow to the atmosphere. Aside from his exhausted pants and the patter of his feet hitting the dirt floor, the air is still and the forest silent. Finally, when Eren is satisfied with the distance he has put between himself and his village, he stops running.

A hand is placed on the mossy bark of a tree trunk to support his weight as he gasps to fill his lungs with the earthy air. He leans on the tree and slowly slides his body down to a sitting position, hugging his knees to his chest. Through his thin trousers he can feel the cold moisture from the dew left on the bed of grass.

"Haah…" He exhales, letting his troubles bleed out of his body. Yes, this is where he can be free, free from reminders of his innate affliction. The air is teeming with the essence of life; he can feel it travel up his fingertips into his body. He breathes in deeply, reveling in the sensation.

Something to the right of him catches his attention. He notices a swift movement and hears rustling in the bushes. Standing up, he pats the dirt off the backside of his pants and goes to investigate. Carefully, he approaches the spot and cautiously parts the foliage. Nothing. He bends down for a closer look. Maybe it was a small creature?

Eren doesn't detect the person behind him. One hand reaches out and covers his mouth and the other snakes around his waist, pulling him snug against a warm body. His body reacts by trying to gasp in shock, but the soft palm over his lips effectively silences him. Quickly, he is pressed up against a tree, skin slightly scraping against the bark. Eren feels the person still and become motionless behind him, almost statue-like.

"Mmf…" Eren manages to mumble as he struggles to free himself from the strong embrace. He refuses to be treated like this! He's sick and tired of being pushed and shoved around.

His assailant lets out an irritated noise, and Eren hears his voice for the first time. "Tsk. Be quiet and stop struggling. You're going to get me caught, brat." The voice is young and smooth.

The adolescent elf freezes at the words and his overactive imagination runs wild. Is this person a thief? What if he's a murderer? Why is he trying to hide and from whom? In his current position, Eren cannot tell what kind of race this person is. Most likely Elven as well, given the lilt in his speech and choice of tongue. It is very unlikely that Orcs would be in the area. They haven't been seen here for about a hundred years. Plus, given what he has read about them, he probably would have been killed by now if it were one of those beings.

Eren tries to turn around. For some outlandish reason he feels compelled to view the face of this stranger. Again, he is stopped.

"Shh! Wait." The person tightens their grip, and involuntarily, Eren shivers at the words whispered close to his ear.

Listening closely, he hears it nearby – the sound of footsteps. Eren's breath catches in his throat and it's almost as if he has forgotten how to breathe. It feels like an eternity before the footsteps fade away, leaving behind a pregnant silence. The hand is removed from his mouth and he no longer feels the warmth of another on him. It's cold. Colder than usual.

Instantly, Eren turns around and glares at his attacker. He plans to give this person a piece of his mind but stops the moment his eyes land on the form in front of him. This person is about half a head taller than he is. He is right about his assumption at least; it is another elf. Eren has never seen this person before and he knows that this elf, who appears to be a teen and somewhat older than himself, is not from his village. The extravagant sage-colored silk robe with swirling gold accents that adorns the stranger tells him this much. But no, that is not the reason why he pauses.

Even though elves are known for their beauty, this stranger, Eren thinks, is probably the most beautiful one that he has ever seen in the short time of his existence. Eren may only be a child, but he is old enough to recognize such attractiveness, perfection, when he sees it. The elder elf's hair, smooth and short with an undercut, is an uncommon shade of black. It is as dark as the obsidian found in the depths of Dwarven mines. And his eyes. Oh, his eyes! They're a piercing mixture of silvery grey and sapphire blue. Eren feels his gaze penetrate deep beneath his skin, the sensation traveling through his veins, a feeling similar to the flow of life coursing throughout his body from the natural surroundings.

He forgets that he is staring until a voice reminds him.

"Oi, the hell you looking at?"

"A!" Eren jumps back, the sharp tone effectively snapping him out of his reverie. In no time he regains his confidence and questions fly out of his mouth in a rush. "You! Who are you? What are you even doing here? Why is someone looking for you? Are you a murderer? Is that why? Oh my god, I'm going to die, aren't I?"

The raven-haired elf's brows furrow and delicate fingers pinch the bridge of his nose as if he were already irritated with the young elf. One hand is held up as a sign for Eren to be quiet.

"Stop. Calm your shits, kid. You're giving me a headache. If I wanted you dead you would be by now." He lets out an exasperated sigh.

Eren eyes the teen warily. "Are you going to tell me who you are then?"

"I don't want to but I have the feeling you won't stop bothering me about it until you know. I'm just Rivaille. Nothing more, nothing less."

Eren thinks it's a strange name for an elf, but he doesn't dislike it. At least now he knows that this Rivaille isn't a murderer. "Ah, I'm Eren. So, uh, why are you being chased, anyway?"

"That's none of your business." Rivaille looks at him with a bored expression.

Indignant, Eren snaps back. "Wha-! You're the one that got me involved! I think I have a right to know."

"Hoh, feisty, aren't you?" He likes this kid's attitude. Not too many people talk back to Rivaille, as most are too afraid of the consequences. He decides to tell Eren in the end. "Eh, so you want to know why I'm here, huh? Sorry to get your hopes up, but the only reason I'm in this forest talking to a brat like you is because I ran away."

Shock replaces Eren's irritation. Is he serious? Why would someone who is clearly wealthy run away? He doesn't understand at all. "But…why?"

"Tsk. I think you've asked me enough questions. My turn. Why are _you_ here?"

Distress flickers in Eren's eyes but he quickly hides it. Rivaille still catches it, though.

"I, um…" Biting his bottom lip, he looks down at his feet. Should he tell someone he barely knows about himself? What if Rivaille thinks he's disgusting too? It's strange, but Eren doesn't want this person to hate him.

Rivaille notices Eren's reluctance to speak, but now he's curious. He wonders what could possibly extinguish the fire he saw just moments ago in the kid's sparkling teal eyes. Aside from his curiosity, he is a bit genuinely concerned. Maybe a gentler approach will work. "Hey, what's wrong, kid? You can tell me. I promise I don't bite." He gives an uncharacteristic wink.

Eren, mouth agape, stares at Rivaille as if he's grown the many heads of a Hydra. The ridiculousness of it all hits him. "Pfft! Hahahaha! Tha-that…haah…" He tries to catch his breath. "That's so weird!" Upon receiving a glare, Eren quickly tries to explain himself. "Ah! No, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you look ugly or something when you do that. It's just, it was so unexpected."

A slightly irritated huff passes Rivaille's lips. He is only partly annoyed at Eren's comment, since he's quite proud of himself for being able to cheer the kid up.

He contemplates again for a moment if he should really tell Rivaille. The elf did sound rather sincere about it. Sighing, he prepares himself for the looks of repulsion that he will surely receive. "I-I'm…a half-blood." He doesn't notice the split-second flash in Rivaille's eyes.

He's looking anywhere but at Rivaille as he continues. "My mother, she's human, and my father is Elven. Everywhere I go people tell me what an abomination I am, that I shouldn't exist and I should just kill myself. Sometimes I think that they might be right. Maybe I should go die.

But then I think of my mother, how sad it would make her if I took my own life. She…she's the only human in the town and I know some of the villagers give her a hard time for it. I know she has my father to protect her, but sometimes he has to go out of town because he's a well-known healer. So, I can't, I can't die and leave her by herself when he's gone.

The harassment doesn't bother me as much when I'm with my two closest friends, Mikasa and Armin. They're both pureblood in case you're wondering. I've known them practically my entire life. Whenever we're together, I feel like I'm not a monster, like I'm actually normal. I feel bad for them, though, because they become involved in the harassment meant for me alone. They shouldn't have to deal with my problems." He feels tears pricking the back of his eyes but forces them back. Rivaille doesn't say a single word.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. You didn't ask to listen to my stupid life story. I'll tell you why I'm here now. Today I was out with Mikasa and Armin, and of course, there was the usual mockery. But then!" Oh, he could feel his blood boiling at the memory. "Then a stupid buttface talked badly about my mother, calling her a slut and good for nothing whore. I'm used to people calling me names but I couldn't bear to hear them talk about _naneth nîn_ like that. I ended up punching him straight in the face and grabbed Armin and Mikasa and ran as fast as I could. We were almost home before we stopped to catch our breath. Then, Mikasa yelled at me for being reckless. Long story short, we had gotten into an argument and I ran away. So, yeah, here I am.

I feel really bad about it now. She was just worried about me and I threw it back in her face. I hate it. I just hate it. I end up hurting the ones I love because people don't understand! Why? Why do we have to put up with this? What have we ever done to them?! Why, why, why?!" He's yelling now and tears are freely streaming down his face but he can't stop. Intense, wet sobs wrack his entire body and he's shaking. It hurts. It hurts so much. He gasps for air but his breath is shallow and erratic.

Eren doesn't even notice the arms wrapping around his body until he feels a hand run soothingly through his brown locks. It only makes him cry harder and his hands move to clutch tightly to the smooth material on Rivaille's back.

Rivaille murmurs softly into Eren's ear. "Shh, it will be okay. _Odulen an_. You're fine, it's okay. I'm sorry, Eren. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I shouldn't have asked." He rubs soothing circles on the boy's back. They stay intertwined like this until Eren's sobs turn into soft sniffles.

Eventually, Eren removes himself from Rivaille's arms. He notices the large wet stain on the silk robe. "S-sorry. I – hic – didn't mean to ruin your shirt."

The ebony-haired elf simply waves his hand in a dismissive manner and looks up at the forest canopy. It's dusk now and the subtle evening light shines through the small gaps in the leaves, touching the floor with scattered specks of light. "Hey, I know you probably don't want to, but I think you should go home now. It's getting late."

Eren makes a whining noise in the back of his throat. He really doesn't want to, but he knows he has to. His parents are most likely worrying about him this very moment. He realizes it then, that he may never see Rivaille again. This person, who didn't scorn Eren when he told him about his birth but comforted him instead. It is understandable why Mikasa and Armin aren't repulsed by him, because they were practically raised together. But Rivaille, he barely knows Eren so he has no reason not to despise him; he's being kind to Eren because he wants to.

No, he has to meet Rivaille again. He won't be able to bear it, knowing that there is someone out there that doesn't find him disgusting but he won't be able to see them, to talk to them. That would be too cruel. "Will…will I ever see you again? Please…" His plea is almost inaudible.

Rivaille's heart nearly breaks at the tone of Eren's voice. How could he possibly deny such a request? It's not like he has anything else to do during his stay here, anyway. "Yes, of course." He gives a gentle ruffle to the brunet's hair.

Words cannot describe the relief that Eren feels at Rivaille's reply. He's not just relieved; he's happy, ecstatic even. Then he wonders how they could possibly be able to meet again. "When…how will I be able to find you?"

"We can meet in this same spot tomorrow if you want. Besides, I have nothing better to do in this place." He shrugs.

A small smile adorns Eren's face as he bids farewell to Rivaille. "Na lû n'i a-goveninc, Rivaille." He gives Rivaille a quick hug and runs in the direction of his home before the older elf can say anything.

He'll admit, he was shocked at Eren's sudden embrace, but he didn't mind it at all. "N'i tôl i lû…" Rivaille whispers as he watches the small figure in the distance fade into the mist.

* * *

Recently I came up with the idea for this story and I just had to write it.

This is just a bit inspired by the Lord of the Rings. I'm going to include some words and phrases occasionally in Elvish, but not that often. I will try my best to make them accurate, but Elvish is hard to learn, just like any other language. I'm not going to spend time studying it so those who really know their Elvish, please bear with me. Any corrections to my bastardized version of Elvish would be really helpful.

I'm not 100% sure how ages work for elves, but let's say Rivaille is about 30 years old and appears 15 ish and Eren is about 20 and appears 10 ish. Don't ask me how I got those because I don't know either. They will act the way they appear, so feel free to disregard all of this age stuff.

Okay, some translations. I'll try to put most in context, but I'll translate them anyway.  
story title 'amarth mîn' = our fate  
chapter title 'omentielvo' = our meeting  
a = oh  
naneth nîn = my mother (I'm sure you'll be able to guess that once you read)  
odulen an = I'm here  
until we meet again - na lû n'i a-goveninc  
until then - n'i tôl i lû


End file.
